Donald Trump claims he doesn’t care if the R&A drop Turnberry as an Open venue – despite the US Presidential candidate having spent £200million upgrading the luxury South Ayrshire golf resort.

Trump, who overshadowed the Ricoh Women’s British Open there yesterday by staging a media conference to coincide with the opening round of the £2m tournament, has already fallen foul of the PGA after describing Mexican immigrants as ‘bringing crime’ and being ‘rapists’.

They have taken the Grand Slam of Golf away from Trump Los Angeles as a result and it’s thought the R&A may steer clear of Turnberry for the same reason.

US billionaire and presidential candidate Donald Trump believes his course Turnberry can host The Open

Australia's Su-Hyun-Oh plays her second shot on the fifth hole during the Ricoh Women's British Open

But a defiant Trump countered: ‘That doesn’t matter to me. I have to do what’s right. What I said in the United States turned out to be true, when we were talking about illegal immigrants.

‘This (Turnberry) is the greatest canvas in the world, especially when it is renovated the way the R&A has wanted it done for decades.

‘You see what is happening with the Women’s British Open. They are coming off the course saying it’s the greatest golf course they play on tour.

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‘So there’s a lot of pressure to come back to Turnberry and I think it’s not going to be a problem.

‘But I have the US Women’s Open, the USPGA Championship, a World Championship of Golf, and currently the Women’s British Open, so we have a lot of championships in golf.’

He also claimed that LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan had apologised for criticising him in a letter following his comments about immigrants, which led to Trump telling the LPGA to find another venue for the British Open if they weren’t happy.

Trump said: ‘He’s a very nice man and he apologised to me over the phone because he made a statement that was probably not what he meant.

‘He said he didn’t mean that and I said: “Listen, I have a contract, but if you want to take it away, take it away.” But he said: “No, no, no, that not what I want.”

‘I didn’t give him a lot of time, like two and a half weeks, in fairness. But I told him I didn’t like the tone of his statement.

‘What’s happened since then, I have been proven to be right on illegal immigration in the United States and a lot of people have phoned me and apologised.

‘The whole study of illegal immigration has taken off and people have been giving me credit in that I am the one who brought it up and said what a problem it is.

‘It has taken a big turn since the letter Michael Whan wrote. He was very nice and respectful and I said I didn’t mind if he apologised in the press.’

Trump's controversial comments about immigration have caused concern among some tournament sponsors

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Donald Trump insists Turnberry is still 'the greatest canvas' for The Open despite his controversial stance on immigration